Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws passes during pregame warmups before their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images The NFL offseason can be divided into several sections. After the Super Bowl, attention turns to the scouting combine, free agency and then the draft.
The unofficial start of NFL free agency begins at noon ET on Monday, March 10. Officially, players can’t sign until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 12.
That gives team officials 52 hours to make their pitches to player agents and vice versa.
The salary cap will reportedly be a record $279.2 million per team in 2025, an increase of $23.8 million from last season.
So, there will be money to spend.
But whom to best spend it on?
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley is considered by many the top free agent available, but he has said he wants to finish his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles has never had more than five sacks in a season, yet he might cash in with a thin free-agent class.
Then there are players like Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer whom the quarterback-needy New York Jets have said they don’t want back. The 41-year-old Rodgers would love one last shot at a title but might be viewed as little more than a bridge candidate for a team developing a younger quarterback.
Would Rodgers go for that? Would any contender take a chance on Rodgers’ off-field baggage?
Here are three bold predictions for free agency:
1. QB Sam Darnold to the Giants
Darnold started his career in the Meadowlands after being the No. 3 overall pick of the Jets in 2018. Both New York teams are looking for quarterbacks, but as one NFL insider joked, Darnold would pitch for the Mets before he returned to the Jets, who jettisoned him to Carolina after three seasons in which he went 13-25.
Darnold was signed as a stopgap by Minnesota last year and produced the best season of his career as a 27-year-old, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns and earning a Pro Bowl selection after leading the Vikings to a surprising 14-3 record. Yes, he struggled in the regular-season finale against Detroit and in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams as he was under constant pressure.
The Vikings could have placed the franchise tag on Darnold as 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy continues to rehab after missing his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his preseason debut, but they chose not to. The Giants have the No. 3 overall selection in this year’s draft, though are any of the college quarterbacks really worth that pick? Darnold was the NFL’s most accurate passer on deep throws last season, and the Giants need to get last year’s first-rounder, Malik Nabers, the ball.
2. EDGE Josh Sweat to the Cardinals
Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat (94) in action against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. credits: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports There are always players who get a big payday after winning championships. Sweat figures to cash in after sacking Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes 2 1/2 times and helping force an interception in Philadelphia’s upset victory in Super Bowl 59.
Washington figures to go hard after Sweat in free agency—if you can’t beat ’em, sign ’em—to not only strengthen its pass rush but to also weaken a divisional rival. However, Sweat has history with Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, who was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator before leaving for Arizona two years ago. In fact, Sweat had his most productive season under Gannon, registering a career-high 48 tackles and 11 sacks in 2021 when he made the Pro Bowl.
The Cardinals haven’t had a player with double-digit sacks since the retired J.J. Watt in 2022 and didn’t have anyone with more than five last season. Getting to the quarterback is of high importance in the highly competitive NFC West, and the Cardinals aren’t that far off. Now that Sweat has a championship ring, it’s time to recoup some of that money he didn’t get on his rookie deal after being only a fourth-round pick out of Florida State.
3. RB Najee Harris to the Cowboys
Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs the ball in the first half against the Buffalo Bills in a 2024 AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports Last year’s biggest free-agent signing was Saquon Barkley leaving the Giants to go to Philadelphia, where he rushed for 2,005 yards and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl title.
He might have broken Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 rushing yards in a season if not for sitting out the regular-season finale to rest for the playoffs.
Should Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have pursued Barkley (and Derrick Henry) more intensely last offseason? Absolutely. Bringing back an aging Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t the answer, as he rushed for just 264 yards. They’ve got their eyes on Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, a Heisman Trophy finalist, in the draft, but there’s no guarantee he reaches them at No. 12 overall.
Harris, who has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, doesn’t have Barkley’s big-play ability—he averages only 3.9 yards per carry and has never had a run longer than 37 yards—but he has started all 17 games each of the past four seasons and has surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in each. He’s not the big star Jones and the Cowboys normally target, but there’s something to be said for consistency.
